'lil potato pies

When Allen was a small boy, his grandmother would make a special potato pie for him, hiding it away from all the others. She put it on top of the cupboard, and saved it just for him. I saw some beautiful tart shells in the store, and brought them home to make individual potato pies for the Christmas Eve Party. The recipe was so simple, and they tasted heavenly!

Well, he kept them hidden away, only sharing the one larger 9" pie, I had also made, at the party....So now he still has all his little pies to take to the deer lease! yummy!

Here is the recipe for the 9-inch pie.

Sheila's Sweet Potato Pie

2 sweet potatoes (1-1/2 pounds), peeled & cut into 1-inch chunks

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 t. gound ginger

1/4 t. ground cinnamon

1/4 t. ground nutmeg

pinch of salt

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 c. heavy whipping cream

1 9-inch frozen, unbaked pie shell (or homemade pie shell)

whipped cream (optional), for serving

Place the sweet potatoes in a large saucepan & cover with cold, salted water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium & simmer until the potatoes are very tender, about 20 minutes. Drain well & place in a large bowl.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Mash the potatoes with a potatoe masher. Wisk in the sugar, spices, salt, eggs & cream.

Place the pie shell on a baking dish. Ladle in the sweet potato filling just to the rim of the pie shell.

Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake about 30 minutes more or until the filling is set (a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean), and the crust is golden.

Let rest for 15 minutes before slicing. For dessert, dollop with whipping cream, if desired.

Serves 8.